Healthcare had another busy week.
Here’s some of our top analyses to help you make sense of it all.
Senate GOP accidentally makes ACA subsidy extension 'free'
Senate Republicans have a bright idea that would let them extend trillions of dollars in tax cuts at zero cost, on paper at least. Democrats want in.
In a bid to quiet discomfort about massive healthcare cuts, Senate GOP leaders declared that extending the tax cuts from President Donald Trump's first term wouldn't add to the budget deficit under a novel assumption that because they are still law for the remainder of the year, they will always be law. That $0 price tag could apply to lots of policies, starting with renewing enhanced subsidies for health insurance exchange plans, some Senate Democrats say.
Hospital-at-home, emergency medical systems vie for paramedics
Hospital-at-home and other home-based care programs have turned paramedics into hot commodities for health systems and ignited competition for their skills.
Hospitals systems including Geisinger Health System, Allina Health and Sanford Health, in addition to home-based care providers WellBe Senior Medical, DispatchHealth and myLaurel are deploying paramedics into patients' homes to provide certain medical services that would otherwise be provided by registered nurses. Paramedics have skills similar to nurses and are less costly. But increased demand for their services from fire departments, emergency medical systems and healthcare providers is exacerbating a national shortage.
Health systems spend millions to reduce workplace violence
Health systems are spending millions of dollars ramping up security measures at their facilities to protect patients and staff.
Many systems are hiring more officers, implementing weapons detection screenings and updating communication protocols. Executives said these efforts are a response to an uptick in workplace violence over the past several years, ranging from assaults on staff members to sexually aggressive comments and shootings.
Quote of the week
“The idea is that when users input their information to determine whether or not they have access to a benefit, we want to make sure that it's as comprehensive of a search as possible. That means there is a high likelihood that you come back with a benefit that you didn't know you even had access to.”
— Aaron Martin, Amazon’s vice president of health partnerships and marketing
